


Sleepless Nights

by SonezakiRin



Category: Danganronpa, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 11:10:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11485146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonezakiRin/pseuds/SonezakiRin
Summary: It's 2 am in the Gifted Inmates Academy and Ouma is suddenly woken up by a phone call from Kiibo. The robot, often forgetting that Ouma needs sleep, apologizes for calling and offers to let him get back to sleep. Ouma declines and states that he doesn't mind talking to the other for a while. Since Kiibo is a robot, he doesn't need sleep. He wanted to talk to Ouma about something important, being glad that Ouma gave him the chance to do so. However, after their phone call, Ouma is no longer able to sleep at night.





	Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm not dead haha. Although I don't think people really remember me anymore so I guess I am dead....? Anyways, this is a birthday gift I wrote for my friend Sky. Ahhh I hope you like it. I'm iffy about this fic I mean I Sanic fast wrote this in two days. The characters might be ooc since I haven't written much of anything since March...I hope you understand.

At 2 am in the Gifted Inmates Academy, Ouma was woken up by the annoying ring of the landline in his room. The students were all given phones, but they were only allowed to call each other. There would be a button with a small pixelated image of each student, indicating their residency. This was helpful at times when the group wanted to set up certain meetings. You would call one and let them know, and then they would spread the message and so forth. It wasn't exactly a bad idea, but at the moment Ouma sorta loathed the device for waking him up.   
  
He groaned, rolling on his stomach and lazily reaching a hand over to answer the phone. His hands slipped off the phone a couple times in his attempts to reach it, but he finally got it, he was in an even worse mood. "What." He practically fumed, feeling like whoever it was that was calling him had better have a good reason for doing so.   
  
"Ahhh Ouma-kun! I'm sorry for waking you! I seem to forget to check the hour whenever I call you. Shall I hang up?" The moment that Kiibo began to speak, Ouma’s mood had completely changed. He let out a small sigh of relief at the voice. It was just his boyfriend, Kiibo. He really didn't mind when the other called him. Kiibo was just so precious in Ouma's eyes.   
  
Ouma laughed softly as he turned over on his bed to get into a more comfortable position. "No Kiibo it's fine. If it's you, you can wake me up at any hour. I love spending time with my robot," he mused, a blush creeping up onto his cheeks at the words.    
  


Kiibo gasped and let out a string of incoherent words before mustering out, “don't say things like that!” Ouma didn't have to be with the other to know that he was trying to cover his face with his free hand.

 

“But it's the truth Kii-boy! Would I ever lie?” He hummed, but continued quickly with a “to you.”

 

“I suppose not,” Kiibo sighed, but laughed right afterwards. “I know you would never lie to me, Ouma. I trust you completely y’know,” he added, causing Ouma’s breath to hitch. He couldn’t help but feel his heartstrings be pulled at such words. He wondered if Kiibo was able to feel these kind of things as well. He wondered if Kiibo could feel the same kind of love that Ouma felt for him.

 

The small dictator huffed softly, grabbing a fistful of his bedsheets to try and contain his embarrassment rather than letting out an awkward type of squeal, which Kiibo would probably find cute or something, but Ouma felt like he had an image to keep. “Did you want me to come over tonight?” he whispered into the phone. Ouma purposely kept his voice low because he didn’t like to think that Monokuma could hear his conversation with the other. He liked their conversations to be private, but how private could they really be when Monokuma was basically keeping an eye on them at all times?

 

“N-No that’s fine Ouma! There’s no need for that,” Kiibo quickly answered, making Ouma become suspicious. Why didn’t Kiibo want Ouma to come over? Their rooms were literally right next to each other. “It’s because-” Kiibo continued again, automatically ceasing Ouma’s train of thought. “I’m scared I wouldn’t be able to say what I want if we were face-to-face. I’ve always been shy with things like this, especially when it comes to romance. I’m not a human like you guys so it’s not easy for me…” He trailed off, sighing at the thought of him not being a human.

 

“That’s not true!” Ouma seethed, practically growling. “Don’t talk about yourself like that! You’re not just a robot! You’re practically a human! Heck, I tend to forget you’re a robot at times. I mean your appearance is a dead reminder that you are a robot, but that’s not the point! Your reactions to things match those of a human. If anything, you’re more of a human than the stupid heartless classmates we’re stuck with,” Ouma grumbled. “All of us try to suppress how we really feel, which is why I always seem so cool and casual about the romantic things I say that have you turn the cutest shade of red-” He stopped, feeling like he was revealing too much of his soft side, but reminded himself that this was for Kiibo’s sake so he continued. “When you get embarrassed by the things I say, my God Kiibo I get so happy. I always feel like turning bright red just like you. I get all giddy by your reactions and I just want to spoil you with affection because you deserve to know every aspect of what it’s like to be human, and I know you probably haven’t experienced much love.”

 

“Ouma-”

 

“I-I’m not done!” Ouma quickly added. “Kiibo, I’m hopelessly in love with you. I hope you know that. I don’t care if anyone else here is human and you might think I’d have a better relationship with them because it’s you that I want. No one else compares. No one could be better than you. I’m not ashamed to call you my boyfriend even if you are a robot because damn, you’re so perfect. No human could ever come close to your kind of perfection.” At this point, Ouma had tears streaming down his face. Him and Kiibo had never had an intimate moment like this before. Sure, there were times when Kiibo would try to start these conversations, but Ouma would quickly brush them off. He never wanted to have them because they always felt like goodbye conversations, and he couldn’t bear to say goodbye to Kiibo. However, something about the situation felt different that made Ouma inclined to say these things. It was probably because they were talking on the phone that Ouma suddenly had the courage to say these things.

 

It was quiet on the other line, a little too quiet for Ouma’s own comfort. He wondered if he had said something wrong, and just when he was about to apologize and take back what he said, Kiibo spoke up. “I love you too, Ouma.” Those five words were enough to turn Ouma into a blushing lovestruck mess. “You’re the most important person to me, aside from my creator of course, but I love you, Ouma. You’re the only one who’s really treated me like a human. Everyone treats me like they feel sorry for me because I don’t understand something, but you give me a different look. You always look so interested and ready to explain things to me. Even if at times you tease me for not understanding certain things, I can tell from the look in your eyes that you don’t mean it. You’ve given me so much and I could never know how to repay you. I just wish I were human so I could-”

 

“Please, stop!” Ouma practically yelled. “I don’t care if you’re a robot! You don’t have to be sorry for who you are! You’re still Kiibo!” He paused, taking a few breaths to calm down. “You’re still the robot I fell in love with...so please, don’t think that being a robot is a bad thing.” 

 

Kiibo laughed softly. “Being a robot isn’t all that bad because I can replay your voice from my memory,” He teased.

 

“K-Kiibo!” Ouma almost screeched, covering his face in embarrassment.

 

“Your voice is so lovely though! How could I not play your beautiful voice on repeat?” Kiibo added, loving the way Ouma got embarrassed. It’s always been like this, and Kiibo enjoyed every aspect of their relationship.

 

Ouma groaned and rolled over on his bed, trying to shake the embarrassment away. “Oh hey, what did you want to tell me?” he asked, remembering Kiibo mentioning something about wanting to tell Ouma something that he couldn’t do in person.

 

“Oh. I already told you. I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for you and how much I love you,” Kiibo mused. “I doubt I would have been able to say much since you probably would have changed the topic like you usually do.”

 

“I-! That’s because-!” Ouma bit his lip since he really did have no comeback to that. Kiibo’s accusations were exactly right. “Wh-Why did you choose to tell me this at 2 am anyways?” he whined.

 

Kiibo hummed to himself. “I would like to think of myself as a romantic type, Ouma-kun. I also just really wanted you to know.”

 

Ouma stayed silent on the line, wrapping the cord of the phone around his finger. “Well, regardless, I hope you know that I meant what I said. I don’t want you to forget it,” he mustered out.

 

“I know Ouma-kun. I also meant everything that I said. I know that you don’t have the ability to remember everything, but do you think you could try to remember this conversation?” Kiibo teased.

 

Ouma gasped. “Of course I can! How could I ever forget!” He felt offended for a moment before he heard Kiibo burst out into a laugh.

 

“I know, Ouma. But anyways, it’s almost 3 am. I should let you go back to bed. I’m sure you’re tired,” Kiibo spoke.

 

“I don’t mind staying up all night talking to you on the phone!” Ouma defended. “You don’t have to hang up because of me being tired!”

 

“I don’t have to, but I want to. I’m thinking about your health for you, Ouma-kun. You should really take care of yourself first. I can’t watch your health your entire life y’know,” Kiibo lectured.

 

Ouma whined for a brief moment before accepting defeat himself. “Hey, Kiibo?” he added.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I love you, and thanks. For calling, I mean, it means a lot to me,” Ouma stated, smiling to himself.

 

The line was quiet once again for a moment before Ouma heard a faint laugh. “I love you too, Ouma-kun. Good night.”

 

Ouma hung up the phone with a big smile plastered on his face. He quickly rolled over to his pillow and hugged it tightly in his arms. “Kiibo really is the cutest,” he mumbled to himself, cuddling into the pillow and letting sleep take over his exhausted body.

  
  


-

 

That morning, Ouma had woken up with the same smile on his face. How could he not? He had felt as if he and Kiibo had grown a lot closer the previous night. That's gotta be a good step forward in their relationship, right? Ouma hopped off his bed with excitement, rushing to get ready. It was 7 am which was a new record in terms of when Ouma would wake up. Usually Kiibo would stop by at 9 to pester the other to wake up, but today, Ouma was going to surprise him at his door instead.

 

He rushed to shower and got dressed, figuring that breakfast could wait till later. He doubted that anyone else would be awake at this hour anyways so he didn’t bother. Ouma grabbed his room key and quickly bolted out of his room and went straight to Kiibo’s room. He felt like he had so much to say to Kiibo after last night's conversation, although he wasn’t sure exactly how he would say it. Ouma just figured that he would wing it. That’s what he always tended to do anyways.

 

“Kiibaby are you here?” he asked, knocking on the door, but was surprised to see that the door was already open. “Ahh...maybe he stepped out real quick,” Ouma concluded. “Well, I’ll just stay in his room until he comes back!” He mused, pushing the door open and walking in.

 

The room itself was dark, a bit darker than Ouma was used to. He was used to their being at least a few lights on that were blinking in the darkness. Although, those lights only seemed to be on whenever Kiibo was charging himself, so Ouma figured that it made sense that it was dark.

 

His hand roamed the wall for the light switch, for some reason finding it incredibly hard to find it. Ouma didn’t know why, but he wasn’t able to focus much on anything at the moment. His thoughts felt scattered because he suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of dread. His legs were unable to move, and he didn’t seem to know why either.

 

After much smacking on the wall, Ouma was finally able to find the light and switch it on, blinding the boy for a moment by the amount of light that illuminated the room, but he was soon able to recover his senses. “....eh?” Ouma took a few steps into the room and immediately stopped into place, the smile on his face was strained, trembling as much as his body had begun to do at that moment. 

 

There Kiibo laid on the bed, the sheets stained with a strange type of liquid, but that same liquid seemed to be seeping out of Kiibo as well. The phone Kiibo had used to call Ouma was still in his hand, the annoying ring of an ended call was resonating in the room. A variety of Kiibo’s wires were pulled out of his chest, a couple others being laid across the room. 

 

Ouma felt tears stream down his face, but his smile was still prominent on his face, seemingly forced. He walked to the other, tripping on the others wires in the process, and he carefully took the phone out of his hand, hanging it up. “S-Stupid Kiibo. When I hang up the phone and that sound starts to p-play, then it means that you have to h-hang up,” He laughed lowly, sitting on the spot next to the robot on the bed. He placed his hands on the others head and pulled him into a tight hug, eyes wide open as he saw the trail of so-called blood continue behind the robot. “You’re fine. You’re fine. Don’t worry, Kiibo. You’re fine.” He choked up, breath beginning to pick up, but Ouma couldn’t figure out why. “I don’t know why my body is reacting this way, you’re fine, right? You’re just resting.” Ouma pulled away from the hug to look at the other, but something else quickly caught his attention.

 

When he had moved Kiibo to hug him, this had apparently caused the other to open his free hand, that happened to be in a fist. Inside his hand was his memory chip, or rather, Kiibo’s entire being. Ouma had remembered that Kiibo had once told him that if he was going to die, then he would take out the chip. That he wouldn’t really be dead if someone had the chip. They would just need to rebuild him and insert the memory card into it.

 

And there it was. The chip that made up who Kiibo was as a person. Kiibo was no longer the robot, but rather a memory chip. Which meant that the robot was just a lifeless vessel now.

 

Ouma slowly reached a hand over and carefully took the chip in his hand, laughing sadly at the thought. He rested his head on the others chest and continued to laugh. “So that’s why you called me, right? You-You were dying! That’s why! That’s why you didn’t want me to come over!” His laugh only seemed to become darker, becoming increasingly angry at himself for not realizing this as they were on the phone. Maybe he could have done something!

 

He leaned back and stared at his lap with a blank expression on his face. How was he supposed to feel at a time like this? He was sure he probably wasn’t supposed to laugh, but what was he supposed to do? Kiibo was gone now. Ouma was alone once again.

 

“Kiibo is gone…” Ouma whispered to himself, and after the information finally processed in his mind, his eyes widened at the fact. “Kiibo he’s-he’s gone!” He screamed, grabbing his head in his hands and shaking it in denial; however, Ouma took a wrong step back and accidentally fell over, causing him to get a full-view of the others dead, lifeless body.

 

Through the clouded vision by his tear-filled eyes, Ouma’s mind was starting to piece together the reality of the situation that Kiibo was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.

 

Ouma began to hyperventilate and buried his face into his hands, letting out a sharp scream.

 

Luckily at that time, the others were waiting in the cafeteria in order to talk about the plan for the day, when all of a sudden they heard a loud scream.

 

“W-Was that, Ouma?!” Kaede asked the others, unsure if she had actually heard a scream. It’s been so long since someone was murdered that they were actually starting to believe the killing game would end soon.

 

“The only ones that aren’t here are Kiibo and Ouma though!” Angie added. “So does that mean-”

 

“It doesn’t matter what it might mean! We need to check it out!” Saihara snapped, getting up from his seat and running towards the source of the scream; Amami, Kaede, and Angie following suit.

 

Saihara burst into the room quickly beginning with, “Ouma what’s-” but his words got caught in his throat as his eyes landed on the lifeless body of his best friend, Kiibo, with his boyfriend holding onto him as if his life depended on it. The detective tried to get close to the pair, but the moment he reached his hand out for support, he got a deathly glare from Ouma.

 

“Don’t you dare touch him,” He hissed, shifting his eyes over to look over the others. “None of you can get close to him!” The purple haired male pulled the lifeless body as close to him as he could, scared that if he let go then Kiibo would really disappear forever. “One of you did this! You deserve to die! Kiibo didn’t do anything wrong!” He screamed, eyes welling up with tears once again. 

 

The room was silent except for the sobs that elicited from Ouma. It continued this way for a few moments; everyone silently having decided that it was fine to let Ouma mourn for a while before properly investigating Kiibo’s death. 

 

It was Amami, Ouma’s best friend, that finally broke the silence. He carefully walked over to the smaller male, kneeling down next to him and slowly placing a hand on his shoulder. Ouma had originally glared up at the other male, but soon relaxed when he realized it was Amami. He was probably one of the only people, besides Kiibo, that Ouma really trusted.

 

“Hey buddy, I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but we don’t have a lot of time. We need to investigate Kiibo’s death. I don’t think he would have wanted you to die because we weren’t able to properly say who the murderer was, right? I know this is hard, but we should solve this, for Kiibo, alright?” Amami stated in his attempt to pep talk the other. In reality, he was also devastated by the death of Kiibo, but he had to stay strong for his best friend. How was Ouma going to listen to him if he himself was a crying mess too? He would mourn the loss of his friend when he could, but he knew he couldn’t do it at that moment.

 

Ouma sighed and returned his gaze over to Kiibo, gently wiping a few hair strands away from his face. He noticed how the others face had turned considerably more pale since his demise. Ouma found it interesting how realistically human Kiibo really was, and yet the latter was never able to acknowledge any of this. Not like Ouma anyways.

 

“You’re right…” He finally said with shaky breaths. “Kiibo wouldn’t want this, or I’d like to believe he wouldn’t want this. Can you just help me move him so he at least looks peaceful?” He asked, looking back over to Amami.

 

The green haired male only nodded in response, offering the small dictator a warm smile. They both helped to lay Kiibo back down on the bed to look like he was in a more peaceful position. Ouma deliberately made him look like Sleeping Beauty when she was sleeping up in the tower.

 

Ouma couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the sight. “He looks just like a princess.” The thought on it’s own brought back bittersweet memories where Ouma would declare Kiibo as his princess and the latter would become very embarrassed by that fact, often asking Ouma how that was possible when he was a male. 

 

He shook the thought out of his mind, turning back towards Amami, asking him if they could go investigate somewhere else. He mumbled something about not being able to stand seeing Kiibo like that and he would rather be anywhere else at that moment. Amami agreed to begin their investigation somewhere else and proceeded to guide Ouma out of the room. Before they reached the exit, Ouma hastily grabbed onto Saihara’s sleeve, much to everyone’s surprise.

 

“I’m….I’m sorry...for yelling I mean,” Ouma breathed out in a low voice, refusing to make eye contact with the other. “Just please, don’t disturb him too much, ok? Kiibo is sleeping.” His voice was shaking with every word, and it almost seemed like it would break at any second, but it somehow didn’t.

 

Saihara felt heartbroken to see one of his good friends so…broken. Ouma, was a boy who was notorious and obnoxiously absurd with everything he did. He was a boy who never cared much for apologizing for anything, or even requesting something rather than demand something. He was the boy who looked like he was so full of life, but now he looked like he was broken beyond repair. Saihara couldn’t help but wonder if Ouma had seen Kiibo die, or knew something about the others death that he wasn’t relaying to them. However, Saihara would never suspect Ouma to be Kiibo’s murderer, so he figured that whatever he was hiding would be better revealed later.

 

“Yeah..don’t worry Ouma. We’ll let him rest easy. We’ll just be in this room for a couple minutes. Is that ok?” Saihara spoke softly, almost as if he was talking to a baby. All he got as a response was Ouma nodding weakly, casting Kiibo one last glance before leaving the room with Amami.

 

-

 

As Amami and Ouma walked down the hall, Ouma couldn’t help but think of Kiibo. To think about all the times that they had spent together, but most importantly, he couldn’t help but wonder how everything reminded him of Kiibo. It almost felt like he was being taunted.

 

_ “Kiibo~!” Ouma chimed, skipping alongside the robot that was very visibly trying to ignore him. “Kiibo I hope you know that ignoring me won’t get rid of me as easily as you would like it to.” Ouma stated seriously, positioning himself in front of Kiibo in an attempt to stop the other in his tracks. _

 

_ The robot huffed and stared annoyed at the other. “What do you want, Ouma? You’ve already discriminated against me almost three times today! I don’t want to deal with this. I can accept that you don’t see me as a real person, but at least give me some space!” He shouted at the other, gritting his teeth in annoyance. “I may not be a human like you, but I feel things just the same as you guys!” He spoke desperately through shaky breaths. He felt himself trembling from all the adrenaline that was going through his robotic body. _

 

_ It was safe to say that Ouma was shocked by the sudden outburst, but what really caught him off guard were the slight tear drops at the edge of Kiibo’s eyes that were threatening to fall out any second. At that moment, Ouma actually felt sorry for all the things he said. He had initially distrusted Kiibo, thinking him to maybe be the mastermind. It would be ideal for him anyways, right? If he died, he could just be rebuilt. It would make sense if Kiibo did this to them and was probably pretending to feel emotions to get on their good sides. However, at that moment, Ouma no longer had any suspicions against the other. He could tell a lie when he saw one, and he knew for a fact that Kiibo was genuinely hurt. _

 

_ And it was all Ouma’s fault. _

 

_ He watched as the robot seemed visibly distressed and confused as to why he was crying, quickly trying to wipe the tears away. The purple haired male reached out a hand in order to help, but stopped quickly when he noticed Kiibo visibly flinch at the action. _

 

_ “Kiibo I-” _

 

_ “No Ouma you don’t understand!” Kiibo interrupted the other, snapping immediately. “You’re just like the rest! You all look at me like I’m some kind of suspicious figure! I’m not trying to kill you guys, I’m just trying to understand you, and yet, you’re the only one who says what he thinks about me. I wouldn’t be surprised if the others thought the same as me.” He mumbled, staring at the floor sadly. “You guys wouldn’t be so tense if I didn’t exist.” _

 

_ At that moment, something seemed to snap Ouma out of his trance. It was probably because Ouma had often felt like if he himself hadn’t been born, a lot of things that happened in his life wouldn’t have happened in the first place. Ouma often blamed himself for the suffering of others. He often degraded himself and felt like he didn’t deserve to live. That’s what he had grown up hearing anyways, but when he came into the killing game, he put up a front. A type of persona that didn’t care about what anyone thought or how they felt about him. He decided that he was going to ignore his past and live the carefree life he always wanted. _

 

_ But hearing Kiibo repeat words that Ouma had most definitely said before in his life, brought all these memories back to the ruler, and he immediately took action. _

 

_ “That’s not true!” Ouma blurted out, almost desperately. He placed his hands on Kiibo’s shoulders even though the robot seemed to flinch from the contact. “This isn’t your fault! I’ll admit, I did think you were suspicious, heck I thought you were the mastermind, but now I know, it’s not you, Kiibo. You’re just trying to get by. You’re trying to make friends with everyone, but no one is letting you in!” Ouma confessed, seemingly spot on as Kiibo purposely began to avoid the other’s gaze. “Kiibo, I was wrong. You don’t deserve this and you definitely don’t deserve to die because even if no one wants to be your friend, I’ll at least see you as one.” _

 

_ Kiibo’s eyes widened and he turned back to look at the other, scanning his face to see if Ouma would just laugh and say ‘Just kidding!’ but it never came. Instead, Ouma stared intently at the other with a serious expression, and Kiibo couldn’t help but notice something sad in the others eyes. _

 

_ “I know I may not seem like the most ideal friend. Heck, you probably would have preferred anyone else here, but I want you to know I’m here for you, so please, don’t say that everyone would be better off without you.” Ouma pulled the other in for a hug at the end of his statement, holding onto him tightly, and both boys didn’t seem to know why. _

 

_ The robot stayed silent for a moment before deciding to return the others embrace, hugging him just as tight. “As long as you don’t discriminate against me anymore then I guess you can be my friend,” Kiibo said and laughed softly. _

 

_ Ouma pulled away from the hug with a big smile on his face. “Alright! But I’ll still ask you a whole lot of questions about robots because I want to know what limits you have on being a human!” He mused, jumping up and down, mostly excited from having acquired a new friend. _

 

_ Kiibo sighed but smiled at the sudden proclamation. “That’s fine I suppose.” _

 

The small dictator felt his heartstrings be pulled at by the sudden memory. How could he have forgotten that this was the hallway where the two boys had first become friends?

 

“Alright Ouma,” Amami spoke, snapping the other out of his trance. “I’m going to go investigate the garden in case there’s anything here. You can sit down somewhere if you want. If anything happens, just yell for me, yeah?” Ouma nodded in reply and watched as the green haired male disappeared somewhere in the garden.

 

He looked around the place and felt as if the garden was suddenly a lot gloomier than it had been when the whole killing game began. He walked over to a bench that was near him and sat there, glancing over at all of the flowers that had begun to bloom. It brought back old memories of his robot.

 

_ It was about sometime after the third trial. The killing game seemed to drag on for so long. People refused to kill each other so sometimes there would be a month or two without there being an actual murder, but every time one occurred, it hurt Ouma more than anything. Yeah, he played off the part of a nonchalant ruler that didn’t seem to care about anyone, but deep down he was hurt by all of the killings. He didn’t understand how anyone could stoop so low as to actually murder someone. _

 

_ It all seemed trivial to him. _

 

_ So there he was, sitting on a bench in the garden, staring down at the flowers that had not yet begun to sprout. It was winter after all. _

 

_ “Ouma-kun!” Kiibo burst through the day, panting heavily, which made it seem like he’s been looking for the other for a while. Ouma almost felt bad. _

 

_ The robot locked eyes with the other and immediately began to speed walk towards him, pulling him into a hug when he caught up to him. “Thank God, Ouma. As soon as you ran out after the trial, I was scared that something bad happened to you.” Kiibo sighed in relief, nuzzling his head into the other's neck affectionately. _

 

_ The purple haired male looked up at the ceiling, neither denying the hug nor returning it. “Do you think that if I die, people won’t have to suffer anymore?” He asked quietly, almost as if he was asking himself. _

 

_ Kiibo pulled away from the hug with a horrified expression. “What do you mean if you die? Ouma you’re not going to die so don’t say things like that!” The robot almost screeched, finding it hard to believe that the usually happy dictator would suddenly become so sad and distant. _

 

_ Ouma stared at the ground, feeling a sense of deja vu overcome him. “If I died then don’t you think that people would stop killing each other? I mean if we all killed ourselves I think that would solve the problem of murder. I could start it, I don’t mind. It would be better if everyone was freed though, I mean if they just get rid of all the irreleva-” He was cut off when he felt himself get slapped hard across his face. His eyes were wide open and he placed a hand over his cheek. “Kiibo..? Why did you-” _

 

_ “When we first became friends, you told me that you would always be here for me. That if no one else wanted to be my friend, then you would be there for me. So why are you choosing to back out on your word now?” Kiibo choked out, placing his hand over Ouma’s cheek as well. “I’m sorry for hitting you but I wanted to slap some sense into you. Ouma, you don’t deserve to die. No one did. You didn’t do anything wrong. You deserve to live as much as everyone else does. It’s like Kaede said, when we get out of here, we are all going to be friends, right?” _

 

_ Ouma laughed darkly, lightly smacking Kiibo’s hand away. “Me? Get out of here? That’s not the plan Kii-boy.” His usual smirk was back again, except this time it seemed more sinister. He turned around and took a few steps away from the boy, Kiibo eyeing him cautiously, but deciding to not make a move yet. “Don’t you get it, Kiibo? I don’t want to get out of here. I don’t want to get out. I have nothing back at home. Everyone here was forced into this game, but I chose to be here on my own free will. I signed up for this hoping that I died because I have no one waiting for me back at home. Heck, I don’t even have a home. I’m useless and deserve to die here.” He threw his arms in the air while laughing. “I welcome my own death more than anyone else does! So here I am for anyone that wants an easy target! I won’t even put up a fight!” He proclaimed, still laughing darkly in the process. _

 

_ The entire time, Kiibo watched the other’s body movements, his body language. Taking into account everything he was doing and saying. Kiibo noticed that the others knees were trembling and he seemed to be shaking all over, his fingers especially twitching. _

 

_ It finally seemed to dawn on Kiibo as he took a few steps towards Ouma. “If that’s so true….then,” He began, placing a hand on the boys shoulder and turning him around. “Why are you crying?” He was met face-to-face with the real Kokichi Ouma. A boy who was broken and devastated. Someone who tried to put up an act so that no one would know how he really was. So no one would know how much he was really suffering. He could easily see the fear in the others eyes. He could see Ouma’s eyes calling out for help. His eyes were the only thing that ever really told the truth, and Kiibo knew that. _

 

_ Ouma’s breath hitched at the sudden contact and he immediately pulled away, wiping his tears away, but offering no response. _

 

_ Kiibo felt his heart break at the sight. “Ouma...if you died...then I would be sad. Even if you don’t think anyone is waiting for you outside, I hope you know that all of us would be happy to have you around. Yeah, you’re a bit of a brat at times, but we still care about you. Even if you think you have no one and nothing waiting for you, you’re wrong because we’d all be willing to help you, but that’s only if you let us.” He spoke softly, offering his hand out to the other. _

 

_ The small dictator stared at Kiibo’s hand for a moment and then quickly looked away dejectedly. “You guys don’t need me. It’d be easy to forget me and replace me.” _

 

_ The robot gasped at Ouma’s words. “That’s not true!” He pleaded, pulling the other back into a hug even though Ouma tried desperately to break out of it. The ruler’s efforts eventually stopped when he felt Kiibo gently rubbed circles on his back. It was a strange feeling, but it felt comforting to Ouma. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe. “I could never replace you, Ouma.” Kiibo began, tightening his embrace. “Given, I can’t replace any of my friends, but you’re the most important person to me Ouma, so there’s no doubt you’re the person I can’t risk losing the most.” _

 

_ Ouma’s cheeks immediately heated up at the kind words. He’s never felt important before, much less needed by someone. He felt the same about Kiibo, but he didn’t think the other felt the same. Still, Ouma couldn’t help but ask. “Why? Why is it me?” His voice strained at the end, not sure if he wanted to know the answer to that question. _

 

_ Kiibo laughed softly, resting his chin on Ouma’s shoulder. “I thought it was obvious. You were my first friend, Ouma. My first best friend. The first person to accept me. The first person to treat me like a human. And most of all…” Ouma noticed that the robot's hands were trembling as he placed them on his shoulders, carefully breaking their embrace. Their eyes locked and Kiibo’s eyes were watering, but only slightly. “You’re the one that I fell for.” _

 

_ “You shouldn’t like me though Kiibo.” Ouma looked away. “I don’t think I could do much as a friend or anything, and by that I mean yes, I feel the same way. My point is that I don’t have my own personal reason to live, Kiibo. I just want to die. This killing game made me realize that, and honestly, I’m just here waiting to die.” _

 

_ “That’s it!” Kiibo gasped, startling Ouma in the process. The robot took the others hands in his own, an unsure smile on his face. “I know you probably won’t like it, but try to live on for me. Even if it sounds unhealthy, just try to live on for me. It’s ok if you rely on me. I don’t care because when we get out of here together, I’ll hope you find a genuine reason to want to live, so that you can live for yourself rather than anyone else. Being trapped here, with all this murder, I don’t think I can help you find a reason to live for yourself right now, but afterwards, I promise I will. I’m sorry if it sounds selfish, but please live for me.” He pleaded, ready to have Ouma call him crazy for the idea. Heck, even Kiibo thought it was crazy, irrational, and stupid, but he had to try and think of something to keep Ouma around. It was obvious that Ouma was on the edge, and Kiibo didn’t have enough experience with this situation to offer an alternative idea.  _

 

_ Instead, Ouma laughed weakly, lacing his fingers swiftly through the others. “How could you still like me even though you’ve seen my true nature? I didn’t think you would. No one has.” _

 

_ Kiibo’s expression cracked into a small smile as he leaned over, placing a kiss on the others forehead. “I wouldn’t be able to say I genuinely liked you if I haven’t seen every side of your personality and accepted them, right? I don’t know what happened to you in your past, and I don’t expect you to tell me everything right now, but just know I’m always here for you. No matter how dark your past was, I’ll still support you.” _

 

_ For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, Ouma began to break out into a sob, but this time it was out of happiness. Kiibo held the other protectively in his arms as he cried his heart out, being sure to whisper sweet nothings in his ear in an attempt to help soothe him and his aching heart.  _

 

-

 

When the time to investigate came to an end, the remaining students were to meet at the usual place to hold their trial. It was yet another trial to determine if one person would die, or if everyone else would die. However, throughout the entire trial, Ouma seemed distant, lifeless even. 

 

Kiibo’s words were on repeat in Ouma’s mind.  _ “Even if it sounds unhealthy, just try to live on for me. It’s ok if you rely on me. I don’t care because when we get out of here together, I’ll hope you find a genuine reason to want to live, so that you can live for yourself rather than anyone else. Being trapped here, with all this murder, I don’t think I can help you find a reason to live for yourself right now, but afterwards, I promise I will. I’m sorry if it sounds selfish, but please live for me.” _

 

Ouma wondered if this is what Kiibo meant by obsessive. Now that he was gone, Ouma felt as if he reverted back to his original self. He didn’t feel like he could put up his act anymore. He felt dead. He wondered if he would have lived long enough to see Kiibo die if they never got into a relationship. He wondered if it was his fault that Kiibo even died in the first place. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Ouma didn’t know who he could trust anymore either. His friends, it had to be one of them that killed Kiibo. What made it worse was that if it wasn’t the mastermind, then there was two people he mistook as a friend.

 

Every once in a while Ouma would zone back into the trial, but would just as quickly zone out. He picked up on a few things such as time of death: 3 am, which meant that Kiibo really did die after his phone call with Ouma. That made him feel all the more guilty. However, Ouma wasn’t interested in finding out who killed Kiibo because even if he did figure out the culprit, Kiibo wouldn’t come back. What was the point? Ouma wished he knew.

 

The weird thing about the situation though, was that the more Ouma thought about Kiibo and the remaining survivors, the more he seemed to pick up on something. There was something strange about one of the others. One of them was different, but in a subtle way. They were always a bit distant when it came to activities or conversations. They would often pester Kiibo, calling him a robot and always poking up at it. Ouma remembers how many times he’s gotten mad at said person for being that way, for always putting Kiibo down, much like he used to do in the past. The biggest red flag to Ouma, was when he suddenly remembered how the same person had once told Kiibo that even if he was murdered, he shouldn’t be allowed to have a trial since he was a robot, not a human.

 

It all seemed to make sense, but right when it was too late. If he had noticed this earlier, would he have been able to stop Kiibo’s death? Ouma wondered. If he had just been able to stop-

 

“Angie.” Ouma looked up at Saihara, who had seemingly accused the young girl. “Angie is the mastermind.” He stated warily, and almost as if on cue, a smile was displayed proudly on her face at the accusation.

 

Part of Ouma didn’t want to believe that Angie could be the mastermind since she seemed so nice, but at the same time, it made more sense than anyone else that was still alive. “I’m surprised it took you guys so long to figure it out,” She laughed deviously. “I always did talk about sacrificing you guys to the gods. If you could have used your brain from the very beginning then no one would have died.”

 

Ouma watched intently as Saihara, Amami, and Kaede all questioned her and her motives. They all had so many questions that they wish they had the answer to, but she refused to answer any of them.

 

“Then why…” Ouma finally spoke up, surprising everyone with his hoarse voice. “Why did you kill Kiibo?”

 

Angie’s smile faded and she frowned at Ouma. “You’re right. Killing Kiibo was a waste of my time. He’s just a robot anyways so he wouldn’t mean anything to my gods, but I was hoping that Kiibo dying would cause you to turn on your friends and kill them instead. You seemed like the type to do so, but in reality, you’re just really boring.” She sighed, shaking her head.

 

Ouma gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the stand. “Kiibo was not just some robot! He was more human than any of you, including you! He had dreams and aspirations just like the rest of us! He was scared to die too! He cared about all of you and you just betrayed him!” He seethed, tears beginning to roll down his face again.

 

The white haired female stared at Ouma, a bored expression on her face. “If it makes you feel better, he put up a fight. It’s mainly how Saihara caught me. He injured me and Mr. Detective here noticed.” Suddenly, a sadistic smile spread across his face. “But if it makes you feel even better, he really did live like a human till the very end. He died didn’t he? All humans are born to die! If Kiibo was a robot, he wouldn’t have died! So I guess you can say he really was like a human. I was even able to see the life leaving his eyes. Technology these days is very advanced.” She mused, laughing to herself.

 

Anger began to boil up inside of the boy, but right when he was going to launch himself at her, she brought out a red button. “Anyways, now that my identity has been revealed, I have to destroy this place.” 

 

“But why would you have to be forced to go through such an extreme? Surely we can work something out!” Saihara pleaded, urging her to not press the button.

 

For a moment, Angie looked genuinely shocked. She was surprised that after everything, Saihara was still trying to save her, but as quickly as her humanity seemed to come back, it almost instantly reverted back to her normal state. “Don’t be stupid, Saihara. I can’t get out of here. Not with the world knowing I’m the one responsible for this killing game. This was being broadcasted worldwide, after all.” She revealed, causing everyone to look both horrified and disgusted at the fact.

 

“You mean you put us against ourselves to murder each other just for the world's sick entertainment?” Kaede exclaimed, angry at the fact.

 

“Why not? It’s been pretty entertaining since no one tried to save you guys, and it’s been how long, almost a year?” She snickered. “Clearly the outside world is just as cruel as it is on the inside. However, since you guys did find me out, you’ll get a chance to leave. The front doors are unlocked so you are able to leave, but why get out alive when the outside world holds nothing for you. Everyone would have wished you guys died. You can stay here with me! Die with the rest of your friends who weren’t able to make it out!” She mused, gushing with excitement.

 

Ouma’s knees gave out on him and he collapsed onto the floor, staring wide eyed at the ground. Angie was right. There was nothing for them outside the academy. Especially not for him. All he had was Kiibo, and Kiibo died in the academy. Surely, it wouldn’t be bad if he stayed and died with him. That had to be the right choice.

 

Angie waved at the group before pressing the button, causing the entire academy to start to shake violently, signaling the self destruction.

 

“Ouma! Get up Ouma!” Amami begged, pulling him by the arms, but finding it difficult to move the smaller male at all.

 

The purple haired male stayed still, head low. “Please just leave me here…” He spoke loud enough for the others to hear. “What’s the point of getting out if it’ll be the same as it was before I came here? I’d rather die…”

 

“That’s not true, Ouma!  You have us now! We can help you bring Kiibo back!” Saihara butted in, kneeling down and grabbing the other by the shoulders. “I know you have his memory chip! We just need to build another robot, one that looks like Kiibo, and give this to him. He’ll have his memories back! It’ll be like he never died, so please, don’t let his death be in vain!” He yelled, almost snapping the other back into reality.

 

Ouma’s eyes widened at Saihara’s words. “Then does that mean we can go back for his body right now?” But before Saihara was able to respond, a loud bang resonated throughout the courtroom. The building was already falling apart.

 

“I don’t think we can, Ouma. We’ll all die in the process.” Amami spoke, quickly picking Ouma up bridal style and signaling for the others to run to the exit.

 

“What?! No! Amami! Put me down! I want to go with him! Please! Amami!” Ouma fought, kicking and punching the other, desperate to see Kiibo again. “I don’t want him to be alone, Amami! He’s probably scared! He needs me! Please, don’t do this!” He cried, beginning to get frustrated that he wasn’t able to break free from the other's grasp. “Amami!”

 

Ouma’s screams and protests continued as the other three made their way towards the exit. Once they were outside and a  good distance away from the school, Amami set Ouma down. The smaller male almost instantly began to dash back to the school, but before he was able to get close enough, there was a loud sound followed by a random burst of flames that engulfed the entire school, throwing Ouma back with it’s momentum.

 

He slowly helped himself sit back up, ignoring his friends asking if he was ok as he stared wide eyed at the school he had once called his sick and twisted home, but it had also been the place where all his memories with Kiibo were created. All the memories that he would never get back. Most importantly, it was the place where the body of his loved one resided, never to be seen again.

 

In the end, Ouma buried his face in his hands, letting out an agonizing cry for the only person that he considered a loving family member.

 

-

 

Ouma sat in the dimly lit room in his home, fidgeting with a variety of tools and material. The occasional string of cuss words escaped his lips when he messed up on a part. At this point, Ouma looked worse than death itself. He was scarily thin, and his face an alarming type of pale. The bags under his eyes were very prominent, and his eyes looked more dead than his appearance. He no longer took care of himself, because he no longer cared to. Ouma hadn’t been able to sleep properly since that day. If anything, the phone call he had with Kiibo was all he was ever to think about, and even now, that memory was starting to fade away. The fact on its own was enough to make Ouma desperate to finish constructing the other. For Ouma, bringing Kiibo back means more than his own personal health. This was due to the fact that Ouma didn’t have any family outside of the Killing Game, and if he did, he couldn’t remember them. His friends occasionally came over and tried to help him, but Ouma just wanted to bring Kiibo back. If he was able to get him back, he figured that everything would be ok again. It had to be.

 

“I just have to try harder,” was what he usually said to himself. He figured that he wasn’t able to bring Kiibo back because he wasn’t trying hard enough, that he wasn’t trying his best, and that’s what he hated the most.

 

Suddenly, Ouma screeched when his fingers slipped and he dropped the device he was working on, destroying it into several small pieces. The tears welled up in his eyes and he pulled on his hair. “You’re so stupid and useless! You only had one job and you couldn’t even do that! This is all your fault!” He cried, punching the hand that had dropped what he was holding. He was frustrated, he was tired, and he just wanted Kiibo back. He needed to see that smile of his again. He just wanted everything to go back to the way they were before minus the murder.

 

He fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands. Ouma didn’t think it was fair. They were both so close to getting out alive, but Angie just had to come along and kill him. In a way, he didn’t care that she died. Her death didn’t affect him at all because she took away the only thing that kept him sane. Kiibo was the only person who made Ouma feel sane, like he was a person. Ouma didn’t have any family or friends growing up. He was alone his entire life and constantly taken advantage of by those around him. Even though he was forced into the killing game like everyone else, he like to think that he joined the killing game to get away from it all. He had secretly hoped that he would be one of the ones who died, but once he met Kiibo, it all changed. He fell in love with him. He was able to make friends with Kiibo’s help. He was able to feel things he never felt before. For the first time in Ouma’s life, he was happy. If his classmates weren’t going insane and murdering each other, it would have been the perfect life for Ouma. However, Kiibo died, and that’s when it all went downhill for him. He was back to the rut he was in before, but after having tasted happiness, Ouma tried desperately to get it back. He’s devoted his life to bring Kiibo back so things could go back to the way that they were before.

 

Ouma reached up and grabbed onto the table he was working on, using it to help get him up. He was weak, and he knew he was close to dying if he was going to keep treating his body this way, but he didn’t seem to care anymore. It didn’t seem to matter anymore. He took a few steps towards the robot he had been in the process of making. For the most part, he had the majority of the stuff done. Most of the body parts had been made, and Ouma jokingly called himself the SHSL Inventor since he felt so proud of himself at times. The major things missing were the main circuits and wires that made the robot, well a robot. Ouma didn’t feel like he was skilled enough in that field to be able to properly make that stuff. He had tried and failed over a dozen times, but he felt like this time he actually had it right. It’s a shame he had accidentally destroyed it.

 

With shaky hands, Ouma cupped the lifeless face of said robot. It was probably the only thing he was able to replicate exactly. How could he forget Kiibo’s face? The face he grew to love. It’s what helped motivate him to finish. He really wanted to see Kiibo bring this robot to life the way he was able to bring a single room to life with a smile. He blinked tears away, but still felt that his vision was beginning to grow hazy, his legs feeling as if they were going to give out any second. “I’m sorry for having kept you waiting for so long, but soon you’ll be back and everything will be better again, right?” He reached into his pocket and brought out Kiibo’s memory chip, clutching onto it tightly in his hand. 

 

“I swear to you, Kiibo. I’ll bring you back. Even if it’s the last thing I do,” He choked out before he felt his vision fade, collapsing onto the floor, and the chip laid abandoned next to both their bodies.

 

It had been three years.


End file.
